An aerial photograph shows the faded lines of a football pitch in the sun scorched grass at Verulamium Park in St Albans, north of London on August 3, 2026. England and Wales both experienced the "driest July on record", the UK Met Office weather agency said August 3, based on provisional figures. The weather service said that, of the two UK countries, England had recorded just 6.5 millimetres (0.25 of an inch) of rain, 10 percent of the usual average figure, while Wales had 9.3 mm, the Met Office said. (Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP via Getty Images)